Travel Procedures

Arranging for Professional Development Travel

Professional development travel on Department funds:

The Department of Social Work strives to make professional development funding available for faculty and staff.  Some faculty members have an individual budget line in the professional development account that they may use for any travel or purchase related to their professional development.  If you have any question about whether an expenditure is related to professional development, contact Mike Raschick before you make the purchase.

P & A and civil service staff each have a combined line for professional development activities.  Application for use of this funding should be made to the Department Head, Mike Raschick via e-mail.

Child welfare related professional development travel

Faculty and staff who plan to utilize child welfare funds for professional development travel need to:

• Complete a Professional Development Request form and submit to the Professional Development Committee through Karen Nichols.
• Request authorization to use Department funds for the non-child welfare portion of the estimated cost if necessary (individual faculty lines do not require Department Head authorization).
• Note that faculty/staff are required to share a room with another person of the same gender when possible. If you choose to not share a room when space in a room is available, you will be reimbursed for the half of the cost of a room, even if a single and double room is the same price. This is in order to make Title IV-E funds stretch as far as possible, and to utilize the funds in the most responsible and efficient manner. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances regarding sharing a room, please let the professional development committee know in your application, or feel free to speak to a committee member.

Field Supervisor Professional Development

At times the Department has grants that provide professional development funding for field supervisors who are supervising our MSW students.  The field supervisor is required to complete a Field Supervisor Professional Development Request form in order to be eligible to access these funds.  The Supervisor is also required to submit a short summary of the information gained at the event, linking it to the objectives of the particular grant.

Travel arrangements

Employees are responsible for making their own travel arrangements.  Contact Jackie Heytens if you plan to use the purchasing card to purchase airline tickets or pay for conference registration.

• Purchase airline ticket using the department purchasing card, or your corporate credit card.
• Rental vehicles must be approved in advance for professional development travel, and justified through a cost analysis (e.g. you will save $XX each night by choosing a hotel some distance from the conference site and a taxi from the hotel to the conference costs $YY. A car rental would be cheaper than a) staying at the conference hotel and b) staying at a cheaper hotel and using a taxi to get to the conference.)

• Pay for the conference/training registration using the purchasing card or your corporate credit card.
• Make other arrangements as required for hotel, etc.  You may not use the purchasing card to pay for hotel expenses.

Fleet Vehicle Rental

A fleet vehicle may be reserved by calling Marion Washington in the business office at x8292.  You will need to have an account number to reserve a car, which can be obtained by calling Karen Nichols.

Travel reimbursements

Mileage

If you use your own vehicle on University business, mileage reimbursement will be made based on your actual travel.  List the start point (UMD), all intermediate or side trips, and end point.  Administrators do sometimes check the validity of the reported mileage using a “map quest” type website, so make sure you include all travel details.

• Current mileage rates are listed under "Rates" on the Travel Policy website.
• If you are only submitting for mileage reimbursement, there will be no receipts. You may e-mail or otherwise provide mileage details and business purpose to Jackie Heytens.
• For field visit travel, student and agency details are required.  Complete the Field Travel Reimbursement form and submit to Jackie Heytens.

Airfare

You may submit for airfare reimbursement as soon as the purchase is made.  You do not need to wait until after the event to apply for reimbursement.  Submit your receipt with travel details to Jackie Heytens.

Submitting receipts for reimbursement

Attach original receipts to blank paper with tape, organized in logical order (chronological, by type, etc.), with details written next to the receipt.  Provide all receipts to Jackie Heytens.  Complete a Travel Summary Worksheet listing all expenses.  A completed Travel Report form and conference brochure must accompany any professional development travel reimbursement request where sponsored funds were used.  Administrative staff will complete the required University employee reimbursement form and return to the traveler for signature.

Maximum daily rates at specific locations are reimbursed based on the Federal Per Diem rates listed on the website. Individual meal rates are then broken down on the MI&E Breakdown page. Both of these are used to determine how much an employee is entitled to be reimbursed per meal, per day. Meal receipts are not required.

If you lose your receipts, you have few options. The University will not reimburse expenses over $25 without an original detailed receipt, with the exception of meals which do not require a reciept unless it is a hospitality meal.  You may be reimbursed using a credit card statement if the appropriate information is included on the statement (who, what, where, when.)  If you lose a receipt for a hotel stay, airline ticket, conference registration, etc. you may be able to contact the vendor and ask for a duplicate receipt to be sent or faxed to you; however, you are responsible for obtaining your own duplicate receipts.